Phlebas
First Post
So for xmas our regular D&Ders, plus a few old freinds are getting together for a one off bar-room brawl. the idea is simple in practice, but i'm hoping for some interesting suggestions to flesh it out
basic premise is a one shot adventure with pre-gen characters.
Setting - an inn in the wilderness - with a mystery attached
PC's - randomly drawn pre-gen 6th level characters with 3rd level sidekick
(Currently i'm expecting 8-10 players so i'm looking at all core classes, and races)
each PC has a 'task' which either involves killing or capturing another player, or performing / preventing an activity. I think i'll pre-assign these to the character so i don't end up with the paladin having to summon a devil etc
each player will draw randomly a 'quirk' or two for role-playing purposes. we're talking personality disorders, addictions, curses, phobias etc (an alcoholic paladin is still playable so random is good!). Should be an opportunity to get role-play points
the first hour or so the inn will be protected by a powerful curse preventing anyone from drawing a weapon or using violence - that should encourage some role-playing. Halfway through the evening the restriction is lifted (probably a magic item being broken - might even be someone's task) and initiative is rolled.
rather than just last one standing, the winner will be the person who completes their tasks, with bonus points for survival, funnies, quirks etc
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right, now on to the difficult stuff. I'd like to interlink the tasks and quirks around a simple plot idea to try and ensure that every player has a reason to interact with almost every other player. key thing is to spread information / rumours / activity between the players so they have to talk to each other and discover whats going on rather than just barricade themselves into a corner and fireball the place....
So far I'm thinking about a ritual being performed in the cellar to release a demon / abomination currently held prisoner by the remains of a druidic circle the inn is built on. to complete the ritual certain items are necessary and are being delivered unwittingly to the inn by a merchant (who is being tracked by bandits)
Upstairs the town guards are having their annual xxxxxxx day meal, and the travelling fair has arrived and is setting up a boxing booth (practice combat for the beginners, betting for the spectators) in the yard. There's a travelling potion maker and an itinerant healer staying at the inn (so spare cash = goodies or healing)
so far the tasks for the players i've come up with (without fleshing out too much) are
Perform ritual
Stop ritual
Steal item
Retrieve item
Find criminal
Escape from justice
Steal cash
Destroy inn
Save inn
Find relative
so comments, ideas, things to look out for (eg should i restrict one-shot items or just equip as per DMG guidelines) or suggestions on other mysteries of the inn. the more the merrier as the more tangled web i can weave, the more the players have to do. Only unknown will be how many players i finally end up with, so i might just have to have a few standard characters that would be simple enough to run as NPC's but fleshed out enough to be playable (or could be handed over to players if they die early)
I'm running this between xmas and the new year so i have some time to prepare
basic premise is a one shot adventure with pre-gen characters.
Setting - an inn in the wilderness - with a mystery attached
PC's - randomly drawn pre-gen 6th level characters with 3rd level sidekick
(Currently i'm expecting 8-10 players so i'm looking at all core classes, and races)
each PC has a 'task' which either involves killing or capturing another player, or performing / preventing an activity. I think i'll pre-assign these to the character so i don't end up with the paladin having to summon a devil etc
each player will draw randomly a 'quirk' or two for role-playing purposes. we're talking personality disorders, addictions, curses, phobias etc (an alcoholic paladin is still playable so random is good!). Should be an opportunity to get role-play points
the first hour or so the inn will be protected by a powerful curse preventing anyone from drawing a weapon or using violence - that should encourage some role-playing. Halfway through the evening the restriction is lifted (probably a magic item being broken - might even be someone's task) and initiative is rolled.
rather than just last one standing, the winner will be the person who completes their tasks, with bonus points for survival, funnies, quirks etc
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
right, now on to the difficult stuff. I'd like to interlink the tasks and quirks around a simple plot idea to try and ensure that every player has a reason to interact with almost every other player. key thing is to spread information / rumours / activity between the players so they have to talk to each other and discover whats going on rather than just barricade themselves into a corner and fireball the place....
So far I'm thinking about a ritual being performed in the cellar to release a demon / abomination currently held prisoner by the remains of a druidic circle the inn is built on. to complete the ritual certain items are necessary and are being delivered unwittingly to the inn by a merchant (who is being tracked by bandits)
Upstairs the town guards are having their annual xxxxxxx day meal, and the travelling fair has arrived and is setting up a boxing booth (practice combat for the beginners, betting for the spectators) in the yard. There's a travelling potion maker and an itinerant healer staying at the inn (so spare cash = goodies or healing)
so far the tasks for the players i've come up with (without fleshing out too much) are
Perform ritual
Stop ritual
Steal item
Retrieve item
Find criminal
Escape from justice
Steal cash
Destroy inn
Save inn
Find relative
so comments, ideas, things to look out for (eg should i restrict one-shot items or just equip as per DMG guidelines) or suggestions on other mysteries of the inn. the more the merrier as the more tangled web i can weave, the more the players have to do. Only unknown will be how many players i finally end up with, so i might just have to have a few standard characters that would be simple enough to run as NPC's but fleshed out enough to be playable (or could be handed over to players if they die early)
I'm running this between xmas and the new year so i have some time to prepare
